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US 4,867,463 AGranted
Quick release collet
AssigneeEaton Leonard Technologies, Inc.
InventorWerner G. Hopf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pipe holding collet is provided with an insert assembly that can be readily and quickly changed without the use of tools so as to adapt the collet to hold tubes of different sizes. The insert assembly is formed of a number of identical longitudinally separate segments, radially urged outwardly by compression springs and held together in a unitary assembly by a segment encircling retainer ring. The radially contractible and expandable assembly is releasably held within the bore of a master collet by means of an interengaging circumferential groove on the inner surfaces of the master collet fingers and circumferential ribs on the outer surfaces of the insert segments.
Claims13
A collet comprising:
- a master collet having a plurality of resilient collet fingers movable toward radially expanded and contracted positions, said fingers collectively defining an insert receiving bore,
- a removable self-contained insert assembly detachably secured in said master collet bore, said assembly being configured and arranged to be manually attachable to and removable from said bore without use of tools, said insert assembly comprising:
- a plurality of side by side insert segments having front and back ends,
- a plurality of resiliently compressible elements received between adjacent ones of said insert segments for urging said segments radially outwardly,
- a retainer ring encircling all of said segments adjacent said front ends thereof for limiting radial outward expansion of the segments and for holding the segments together in a unitary, self-contained assembly when the segments are removed from said insert receiving bore,
- said segments being configured to be manually squeezed together to a radially contracted position by radially inwardly directed pressure exerted at said front ends,
- a circumferential groove formed in said master collet fingers and opening into said insert receiving bore,
- a radially outwardly projecting rib on said inserts collectively, and extending circumferentially around said inserts intermediate said front and back ends, said rib being received in said circumferential grove, said rib having an outer diameter in said contracted position of said segments that is smaller than the diameter of said insert receiving bore when said collet fingers are in said expanded position thereof, said rib having an outer diameter in radially expanded position of said segments sufficient to position the rib in said circumferential groove when said collet fingers are in said expanded position thereof, said rib and groove being configured to enable said segments to be inwardly contracted by manually squeezing said forward ends, thereby withdrawing said rib from said groove and allowing the insert assembly to be substantially simultaneously grasped at said forward ends and pulled from said master collet bore, without use of tools.
5 more elements
For use with a pipe bending machine of the type having a movable carriage for holding and positioning a pipe to be bent, and wherein pipes of different sizes are inserted into and removed from a pipe holding chuck on the carriage, an improved chuck comprising:
- an adapter shaft fixed to the carriage at one end thereof and having a forward end,
- a master collet having an enlarged rear end portion fixedly secured to the front portion of said adapter shaft, and having an enlarged master collet head, said head and rear portion being interconnected by a relatively thin axially extending master collet body, said master collet head and body being longitudinally separated into a number of master collet fingers, said head having a rearwardly and radially inwardly inclined outer drive surface, and having an inner bore for receiving a collet insert assembly,
- a collet housing surrounding said master collet and having a forward end with an inner inclined surface mating with and engaging the inclined outer surface of said collet head,
- a hollow drive shaft carried by said carriage for slidable axial motion and having a forward end thereof connected to said collet housing, whereby the collet housing may be axially reciprocated by motion of the drive shaft,
- means on the carriage for axially driving the hollow drive shaft,
- a removable self-contained insert assembly detachably secured in said master collet bore, said insert assembly comprising:
- a plurality of side by side insert segments,
- a plurality of compression springs respectively received between adjacent ones of said insert segments for urging said segments radially outwardly,
- a retainer ring encircling all of said segments for limiting radial outward expansion of the segments and for holding the segments together,
- a circumferential groove formed in said master collet head and opening into said bore, and
- a radially outwardly projecting rib extending circumferentially around said inserts and received in said master collet head circumferential groove.
8 more elements
For use with a pipe bending machine of the type having a movable carriage for holding and positioning a pipe to be bent, and wherein pipes of different sizes are inserted into and removed from a pipe holding chuck on the carriage, an improved chuck comprising:
- a master collet having a rear end portion secured to said carriage and having an enlarged master collet head, said head and rear portion being interconnected by an axially extending master collet body, said master collet head and at least part of said body being longitudinally separated into a number of master collet fingers, said head having a rearwardly, and radially inwardly inclined outer drive surface, and having an inner bore or receiving a collet insert assembly,
- a collet housing surrounding said master collet and having a forward end with an inner inclined surface mating with and engaging the inclined outer surface of said collet head,
- a drive shaft carried by said carriage for slidable axial motion and having a portion thereof connected to said collet housing, whereby the collet housing may be axially reciprocated by motion of the drive shaft,
- means on the carriage for axially driving the drive shaft, and
- a removable self-contained insert assembly detachably secured in said master collet bore, said insert assembly comprising:
- a plurality of side by side insert segments,
- a plurality of resilient compressible elements respectively received between adjacent ones of said insert segments for urging said segments radially outwardly,
- a retainer ring encircling all of said segments for limiting radial outward expansion of the segments and for holding the segments together,
- a circumferential groove formed in said master collet head and opening into said bore, and
- a radially outwardly projecting rib extending circumferentially around said inserts and received in said master collet head circumferential groove.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.